Records Retention Schedules and Indiana Government
The first four are maintained by the Records and Information Management staff of the Indiana Archives and Records Administration in collaboration with state and county/local government, while the fifth type is managed by the Indiana Judiciary:
- The State General Retention Schedule: Record Series that are common to and may be created or received by any Indiana state government agency.
- Agency-Specific Retention Schedules: list Record Series unique to one state government agency, or to a specific division of that agency.
- The County/Local General Retention Schedule: Record Series that are common to or may be created or received by any Indiana local government unit: offices at the county, municipal, or other local level, including public schools and libraries.
- County/Local Office Retention Schedules: list Record Series that are unique to all county or local offices of a certain type: all County Clerks, all public libraries, all local law enforcement agencies, and so on.
- Judicial Retention Schedules: cover the records of the Indiana Supreme and Appellate courts and related entities, and are published in the Indiana Rules of Court, under Administrative Rule 7.
What is a Records Retention Schedule?
Records Retention Schedules tell us how long the law (or administrative policy) says we need to keep the various categories of records and documents we create or receive in Indiana government, and what to do with them after that. You may also see these referred to as "retention schedules" or just "schedules." In Indiana all records retention schedules used by government offices must be approved by the Oversight Committee on Public Records.
Indiana government records are covered by two basic kinds of retention schedules: general retention schedules applicable to records created or received by any government office, and agency or office specific retention schedules that are unique to a specific office or type of office.
If you'd like to search across all of the Retention Schedule types, or search for a particular topic within the schedules for different agencies at the same time, you can do so in our Record Series Search.
How to Read a Retention Schedule
Retention schedules have lists of records grouped into categories called Record Series. Records that share the same topic, legal requirements, and retention instructions are grouped together under a single Record Series. Each Record Series contains:
- Record Series Number: a unique identification number assigned when the series is first created.
- Title/Description: a formal name for the category of records, and a brief description of the subject or program that the records have in common, specific forms and reports that may be included, and any legal codes that affect confidentiality or retention periods.
- Retention Period: Where, in what format, and how long the records are to be maintained, and what happens at the end of that period (aka disposition): destruction of records that are no longer useful, or transfer to the Indiana State Archives for records of historical value.
Each Retention Schedule contains all of the Record Series that apply either to a specific government entity, or to a broad category of government entity.
